


The Lesson Of The Collapsed Ceiling

by samworth



Category: Numb3rs
Genre: Disobeyed Orders, Friendship, Gen, Small case fic, season 5
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-03
Updated: 2021-01-03
Packaged: 2021-03-13 19:47:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,389
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28533915
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/samworth/pseuds/samworth
Summary: As Colby tried to teach Nikki the importance of following orders, he hadn't imagined that it would take getting buried beneath a collapsed ceiling to make his point.
Comments: 6
Kudos: 9
Collections: fandomtrees





	The Lesson Of The Collapsed Ceiling

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Cat2000](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cat2000/gifts).



> For Cat2000. I hope you like it.
> 
> Early season five. Unbetaed.

Colby turned around the corner just in time to see Nikki coming in from the elevators. Before he could warn her, Don had already spotted her, angling his way to approach her. Slowing down, Colby watched Nikki's easy grin vanish the moment she spotted Don. The way Don stopped in front of her, his stance and tight fists didn't require the skills of an FBI agents to recognize how angry he was. "Did you tell the brother that you think Mrs. Sanchez took money for her silence?" he demanded in a volume that didn't care who heard him.

Nikki's steps faltered. "Boss," she started, determined to defend herself, "the husband is clearly hiding something. I just asked the brother what -"

"Did you or did you not?" Don cut her explanation off.

She raised her chin, tilting her head back. "I did."

"And what did I tell you not to do?"

Nikki briefly clenched her hands before she finally lowered her gaze. "Boss, I just -"

"What you did, may very well have killed Mr. Sanchez."

"What?"

Don lowered his voice again but Colby already knew what had happened. He had feared it the moment he had read the brother's file and had heard Nikki's report how she had tried to pressure him into giving his sister up. "White went with a gun to his brother-in-law's house and threatened him if he wouldn't share the money with him. Money he assumed that Sanchez would have after you told him so."

Taking a step back, Nikki's eyes widened.

Colby grimaced before he went nearer, in his hand the fax that had just arrived for Don. Usually it was safer to get out of Don's way if he was on the warpath but for once Colby could be absolutely sure to be spared Don's ire. He couldn't have done anything wrong as he just came back from a re-training course he was required to take if he wanted to stay SWAT/HRT qualified. 

"Yes." Don's voice vibrated with anger. "White shot Sanchez. He believed that his sister would never ever do anything without her husband and as Sanchez didn't give him money or told him the sum he would get, the confrontation ended with Sanchez shot and White arrested by the LAPD."

"I didn't -"

"Why do you think I told you to not say anything to the brother? Your action endangered not only our search for our missing witness but also almost killed her husband. You-"

"Don," Colby dared to interrupt him, holding up the sheet of paper. "The prosecution office has sent us the list of seized properties and the search warrants."

Don swirled around.

Colby flashed a quick smile in apology to Don. Then he tilted his head and nodded to Nikki. "I could take the rookie and check them out. They are all empty houses. Nobody to talk to, nothing but boring police work."

Narrowing his eyes, Don fixed Colby with a glare until he finally gave short nod. "Don't let her botcher anything else," he muttered before he turned on his heels and stalked back to his desk.

Stepping back to allow Don a clear path, Colby watched how Nikki deflated after finally being out of Don's sole focus. "Come on rookie, let's go."

  
  


***

  
  


Nikki fastened her safety belt with more force than necessary before she crossed her arms. "It's not like I intended for Sanchez to get shot."

"That Mister Sanchez was shot by his brother-in-law wasn't your fault," Colby agreed with her as he started the engine. If he wanted Nikki to listen to him, he couldn't start with disagreeing. "White went there with a gun to demand money. He could have easily done this because he thought he would get the life insurance money if you had told him you think that Mrs. Sanchez has died in an accident."

"Exactly!" Nikki hit her own thigh with a fist. "But the boss seems to think it's my fault."

"You disobeyed his order," Colby pointed out. "That's a fact and that is your fault."

Nikki scowled. "But they are lying, McAdams, the husband, the brother," she insisted, tilting her had to the left to stare at him. "But especially the husband. He's hiding where his wife is. I'm sure."

Colby snorted, his focus on the crossroads in front of him. "You have it all figured out, haven't you?"

"Sure. As far as I see it, there are two options. One, McAdams bought Larissa Sanchez to keep her from testifying. Or two, Larissa Sanchez is dead. But with the husband lying, it's probably the first option."

"And why?" Colby glanced to Nikki out of the corner of his eyes.

"Because it fits the evidence. Theresa McAdams was dealing with stolen paintings. One day she tried to sell a painting to Larissa Sanchez who recognized it as stolen and called the police. Sanchez' testimony is the end of McAdams' criminal career. But the Sanchez' are in financial troubles, deep troubles and McAdams probably has some funds stashed away, or she wouldn't be able to afford her high-class lawyer."

"And so she bought Mrs. Sanchez." Colby glanced to his nav, ensuring that he was still on the right way to the first location the DA had provided from their list of McAdams' seized properties. These properties could work as both - hiding place of a paid witness or place to bury a dead witness.

"Yes, but not to lie but to simply disappear. Her husband had to stay back to keep us off their track, but he is an awful liar."

Colby let the car roll to the next stop sign. "What was the first question you asked yourself in this case?" He drove on.

Nikki frowned, but she replied, "where is our witness? Is she still alive?"

"All right, and then?"

Irritated, Nikki glanced to him, her brows furred in a silent question. After a moment, she answered, "who has money and who needs money."

Colby slowed the car down for a right turn, using the moment to give Nikki a quick grin. "Did you ever ask yourself what is the truth?"

"What?"

"If you just search for the answer to a question you're always going to get stuck on the very first answer that makes sense. If you want to know the truth, the whole picture, you are going to have to ask a lot more questions until you can piece it together."

Nikki exhaled deeply. "Is there even anything truly true?"

"Sure. But it takes some more work to uncover it then just going by assumptions." He stopped the car in front of an old house. "Here we are," he said as they both stared out of the window.

The word house didn't quite cover the desolate state of the building. The word ruin worked better.

***

Carefully, Colby walked around the house. "It doesn't look like anybody was here for a long time." The windows were broken and the boards used to cover them were already rotten. All in all, it was an abandoned and dangerous place.

"Perfect place to hide," Nikki snapped back.

Colby sighed. "We should call for a backup and tell them to bring an infrared camera. Then we can see if somebody is hiding here or not. No need to enter this death trap."

"You want to get backup and use terrible expensive technology?" Nikki put her left hand on her hip. In the right one, she still held the crowbar she had grabbed from the car, prepared to enter with force. "I know this is the FBI with all the fancy equipment but seriously - we can just check it out for ourselves and even see if there had been somebody hiding here recently."

Eyeing the rotten walls and broken windows, Colby hesitated. The destroyed windows hadn't done their job to protect the inside from the weather making the interior walls as unstable as the outside looked.

"Scared?"

"No, worried about the structure."

"We're going to be careful," Nikki said and started already for the window right next to the door. "We have a search warrant. We're allowed to get in." She started to push the boards inwards.

"All right," Colby said, watching worryingly how easily the boards gave the window free. But the frame remained firm and withstood the force of Nikki's crowbar. Maybe they had just used shoddy boards. "Don't touch anything and watch where you put your weight, clear?"

"Yes, yes," Nikki said, ducking through the opening.

"No," Colby snarled before he grabbed her upper arm and pulled her back. "Repeat, what I told you to do, so I know that you listened."

She was barely able to suppress the rolling of her eyes. Colby only saw it because he had done it himself whenever somebody, mostly David, tried to go for the safer instead of the faster route. "I watch where I put my feet and I don't touch anything."

"Good." He let go of her arm and followed her inside.

***

The old house, ruin, Colby reminded himself, was as empty as the outside suggested. "Found anything?" He asked trying not to breathe too deeply as the air smelled of mold and decaying materials.

"No," Nikki replied, using the flashlight of her cellphone to look around. "But we still need to check the cellar."

Colby, having a real flashlight, stopped his own search and turned to Nikki. "If we didn't find anything here -"

"If I wanted to hide from us, I would make sure to clear all traces and hide in the one place where it's dry and I can hide my light." She shut off her light, pocketed her phone and grinned as she grabbed the handle of the trapdoor to pull it open.

"You put in a lot of thoughts where you would hide from the FBI." He illuminated her waiting in front of a trap door. Nikki's annoyed expression and the circle of his light reminded him of all the caught heroes in the comics of his childhood. "Anything you need to tell me?" he asked grinning.

"Ha, ha, ha." She pulled the trapdoor open before s he pulled out her cell again and lit up the way down. "Even if there would be something to tell," she glanced pointedly to him, "I wouldn't tell you."

Not worried about her brash tone, Colby admonished, "careful with the steps of the ladder, they may be rotten."

"Yes, mother," she muttered, carefully stepping down.

Colby just smirked as he followed her down. Good thing he had taken her out of the office or Don would have thrown her out by the end of the day. Sometimes Nikki really didn't know when to quit.

With his flashlight, Colby scanned the cellar. Stone walls and a surprisingly clean floor greeted him. Carefully, he cleared the area to the left while Nikki took the right one.

"I think I got something," Nikki called out from her side of the cellar. "I think there is another trapdoor here."

Colby turned around just in time to see Nikki kneeling on the ground, her crowbar wrestled into a small slit. "Nikki, don't touch -"

His words were lost in the load groaning of the ceiling. Intuitively, Colby raised his hands and hunkered down. It was the last thing he remembered before the ceiling came crashing down onto him, taking his consciousness with it.

***

_"I promise, I'll never disobey an order again, if you just live, Granger."_

Colby groaned. Squeezing his eyes shut, he tried to ride out the pain in his head. What exactly had he done last night? The boys from the SWAT course had invited him, but they were usually a responsible group.

_"Seriously, if you're dead I'm going to kill you. You're better not be dead. I can't tell the boss. Or worse your partner, Sinclair."_

A high-pitched sound echoed in his head, worsening his headache. It took Colby a long moment before he recognized the sounds as the voice of a woman.

_"Stupid reception. I thought we were in L.A. and not in some dessert or beyond the end of the world. Why there's no reception?"_

To the voice of a woman came the sound of digging. Somebody was moving heavy rubble and it let the ground vibrate beneath him, or maybe above him? Colby groaned again, hurting allover. He could move but somehow couldn't free himself from the blanket that covered him. Why did he possess such a heavy blanket?

The voice cursed. _"I promise to write all the reports, just be okay, all right Colby? I need you to call your partner off. I don't want to use my gun to defend myself."_

Finally, Colby managed to open his eyes to small slits. Dim light penetrated his eyes. He blinked until he could finally make out that there was rubble above him. This wasn't his home. Feeling the hard ground below him, the memory finally rushed back in, forcing him to close his eyes again. Oh, yes. The ceiling had come down on him. And it had been Nikki's fault. _"Granger?"_ Finally, he recognized the voice.

Another loud bang and even more light streamed into his dark chamber. The inside of his eyelids became red, and he breathed faster in pain. "Colby?" Nikki asked in a small voice as she carefully touched his throat with two cool fingers.

"Not dead," he mumbled and shifted again, but he still couldn't seem to get free. "I'm fine, just stuck." As Nikki didn't reply, Colby forced his eyes open again. In the glaring light of her flashlight, the dirt on her face couldn't hide her relief. Colby could almost see how a burden was lifted from her shoulders as she lowered her head, resting it against his shoulder. "Not dead," he repeated while she took a deep shuddering breath.

***

After she had removed all the rubble from him and helped him to sit against the outer wall, Colby was finally able to catch his breath. "What happened?"

Nikki stared at him, eyeing him carefully. "The ceiling collapsed."

"I know," Colby said, fingering the gash on his forehead just below the hair line. According to Nikki it had bled all over his face, creating a gruesome picture. "But why are you here and not getting help or something?"

"Everything came down including the ladder. I can't get out." Nikki leaned back on her heels, still hovering near him as if he would fall over any moment just because he had been briefly dizzy. "I tried but there's nothing to get enough leverage and I didn't want to climb onto the rubble because I didn't know where you were."

"And now?"

"If you're better you can give me a leg up. Maybe I can grab something to pull myself up."

A dry laugh escaped Colby's mouth. They would need to try but first his head had to stop spinning, and the way Nikki described the situation, her plan sounded more like a last-resort-attempt. "Let's not forget that everything you could grab, could also bring down the rest of the house."

"And there's that."

The indirect light of Colby's flashlight gave the whole room a grim lighting. Suddenly, Colby remembered his cell phone. "My phone!"

"Forget it," Nikki grumbled, as he pulled it out and lit it up. "There's no reception down here."

Realizing that she was right as the words 'no signal' flashed across the screen, Colby squeezed his eyes shut again. He probably had a concussion if his light sensitivity was any indication. He breathed through another wave of nausea. Oh, yes, definitely a concussion. "Radio?"

Hanging her head, Nikki placed a hand in front of her face. "In the car," she murmured.

"In the car?"

"We're in LA!" She sat down on the floor. "Just keep your cell phone charged and everything is fine." She shifted until she sat right beside him, providing him a warm shoulder to lean on.

They sat in silence, listening to the shifting and groaning of the surrounding material but everything held and nothing happened.

"Didn't I tell you to not touch anything?"

Colby felt Nikki shifting besides him, but she didn't say anything.

"Man, twice a day not even I managed," he murmured.

"It looked like a trapdoor. I just tried to open it," she said defensively, pulling her knees to her chest. "I didn't intend to bring down the whole ceiling or floor."

Colby let his eyes close, not bothering to reply. They both knew that intent wasn't the only thing that counted.

***

Colby pushed himself against the wall, trying not to fall over while Nikki stood on his shoulders. True to his first impression, he hadn't broken any bones or hurt himself worse than a few bruises. But the bruises alone would make the next few hours and days awful. If they couldn't get out now, he wouldn't be able to help Nikki much later on after his muscles had time to seize up and the bruises had fully developed.

But that was later, for now the only thing that was really bothering him was his head. At least the pain didn't compete with the one time he had been in an explosion. So, he was pretty sure that he was still somewhere in the range of fine. Convincing Nikki had been more difficult.

Nikki cursed. "I can't get a hold."

It had taken several attempts until they had found a solution where she could climb onto his shoulders and then try to grab something to pull herself up. He didn't know her state of fitness and therefore hadn't pointed out that without a rope it was all but useless as she wouldn't get the necessary leverage.

"We tried," Colby said with a grimace, not looking forward for Nikki to climb down again. His thigh, back, and ribs were still hurting from her way up, not forgetting the pain in his shoulders from her weight. At least she was a lightweight. It could have been David. David!

"Coming!" she shouted and suddenly jumped down. The sudden loss of the weight on his shoulders had Colby almost tumbling over.

"Do you want to break your neck!" he demanded angrily as he recovered his balance.

"No." She calmly rubbed her hands together, trying clean away the worst of the dirt. "But I also didn't want to hurt you again. You should have heard the sounds you made as I climbed up." She paused in her activities to stare at Colby, guilt clouding her eyes. "I'm sorry, I couldn't get a grip."

Recognizing the impasse they had reached, Colby nodded and let himself slid down to the floor. "So we're waiting."

"It could take hours until Don is missing us. Maybe days." Nikki dropped next to Colby.

Colby snorted. Don wouldn't need days, but he also wouldn't be as fast as David. "David knows where we are. He'll come, you'll see."

"Why would Sinclair know?" Nikki asked while she shut down the flashlight. It was still daylight and enough light reached them to save battery life for later, when it would be really dark.

"Because I told him. It's what partners do." He glanced to Nikki. "Didn't you learn this working for the LAPD?"

Nikki glared at him. "Of course, we would tell control where we were or you'd tell your partner you were riding with. But we were not calling some random friends."

"But now you see, why you should do it." Colby took carefully a deep breath, trying to gauge how bad the bruises would get.

"So I take it that Liz over-dramatized everything that happened between you and Sinclair after the reveal that you were working undercover, if you still call him to tell where you're going ..." she trailed off.

Colby held his breath. This wasn't the time or situation he wanted to be reminded of this. He exhaled forcefully. "You know the old saying: what doesn't kill you makes you stronger." Staring straight ahead, Colby searched for a good description. "We had a few rough months but then it got better."

"How? I mean it's not my place to ask but how can it get better? Betrayal is betrayal."

Fingering the gash again, Colby hid his face behind his hand. "You make decisions and you have baselines for decision. If you like somebody's decisions, you usually also like their principles that are forming their decision."

"And?"

"And after my undercover work, we both, David and I, knew better than before the basis of the other one's decision-making and not only the result. That's better."

Colby could feel Nikki shivering. It wasn't really cold but it was far cooler than expected, and they both wore only clothes unsuitable for their adventure.

"I couldn't forgive such a betrayal. Don't misunderstand me," Nikki turned her head and glanced to Colby, "I always knew what you had done but to learn it, to have weeks thinking and believing it, no, that would have done me in."

Colby smiled ruefully. "Well, a friend is somebody you like despite knowing him."

"Um, that could explain it." She scratched her head, the sound unnaturally loud in their silent cellar. "You weren't just David's partner, you were his friend."

"Is there a difference?"

"I had a lot of partners and I would have died for every one of them but I wouldn't have told them my deepest fears or secrets as I would tell a friend." Nikki shook her head in emphasis. "No way."

"And why is that?"

"Because they were my partners not my friends."

***

"I get it." Nikki suddenly blurted out. Judging by how numb his bottom was, Colby estimated that they had waited for at least an hour already. "That I would die for my partner but not telling him any secrets is the consequence of my principle to always protect my partner but also to protect myself, right? I protect myself by not sharing any secrets and protect my partner to the best of my abilities. And if you like this basis you can deal with the decision I make based on it."

Colby raised his eyebrows until the gash on his forehead reminded him why he shouldn't do this. It still smarted. "You're a fast learner."

"It's cold. It's dark. There isn't any beer here and you're a lousy companion," Nikki grumbled.

"And whose fault is that?" Colby replied. His head hurt, and that wouldn't have happened if Nikki had followed his order. Not the best combination for a good conversation.

"Mine," she said without hesitation. "I know, and I'm sorry. Just be okay, so Don doesn't kill me."

Colby nodded, accepting her apology. There would be a time to bury it with a beer and a short pat on the back. But it wasn't now and Nikki knew it. "Do you really think that Don would kill you?"

"Not literally." She shrugged. "But I guess I would prefer a literal death to Don's -" she broke off. Suddenly, she leaned forward and angled her head towards him.

In the dim light, Colby could just make out enough of her expression to recognize the realization drawn on her face. "Yes?"

"I should follow Don's orders because he issues them based on his principles. And he wants the same as I do - to do our job."

"And get some justice," Colby added. Then he grinned. "Oh, and don't forget that Don's also big on the protection part."

Nikki grimaced. "Yeah, hence the reason why he would kill me if I get you killed."

***

The minutes dragged by. The dust had already settled and left clean air behind. Or as clean as air could be that smelled like mold and old stuff.

"Did you never disagree with Don?"

"Of course I disagreed with him."

"But you still followed his orders?"

"Mostly."

"Mostly?" Her light jacket crackled as she crossed her arms. The sun had to be low as it was starting to get dark. "You're lecturing me about following orders but haven't followed them yourself?"

"It's called sharing wisdom. You know - there are three ways to get wise. One, by experience, that's the hardest. Two, by thinking it through, that's the most noble. And three, by following advice, that's the easiest." Colby nudged her shoulder. "You don't have to do everything the hard way. It's an offer to profit from my experience. You don't have to take it."

Nikki snorted. "You're sharing wisdom? I guess, you hit your head harder than I thought."

***

"Colby!"

Despite recognizing the voice instantly, Colby startled, forgetting for a moment that fast movements were ill-advised.

"Colby? Nikki?"

"Here!" Colby answered but it was Nikki's voice that carried their location upstairs. "We're here!" She scrambled up and rushed to the part where the ladder had been.

"Are you two okay?" David asked, shining his bright flashlight down. Without waiting for an answer David turned his head and called out, "Don? I found them."

"We're fine," Nikki answered. "Colby is a little banged up, but he tells me he's fine."

"I'm fine," Colby muttered despite that he had yet to get up. The prospect of moving seemed a little too daring. He had finally found a place where he could rest and where everything just hurt if he breathed too deeply. He would wait a little longer until they had figured out the way how to get them out before he stood up.

"Great," Don called out. From his position on the ground, Colby could see neither David nor Don, but he could hear them just fine. "Sit tight, we're getting you out." They would probably call a rescue crew. They'd first needed to stabilize the building before they could bring in heavy gear.

"See, we're getting out of here." Nikki came back and dropped next to him. "Told you so."

Colby grinned. "As far as I remember, it was me who said this and," he held up a finger to forestall her protests, "it was my partner who found us because I had told him where I would be."

"Fine," Nikki grumbled. "I'm just glad that we're getting out of here."

"Don't get exited just yet. It's still going to take a few hours."

"What?"

"It's called calling for backup and professional help, rookie."

***

"Colby? Nikki?" David's voice interrupted Colby's daydreaming, and he jerked. Groaning, he just watched as Nikki scrambled up again as if nothing had happened. But then again, she had stood below a beam that had not fallen down.

"We're still here."

"I'm coming down."

Before Nikki could utter the question clearly on her face, David had roped down in one fast motion. He used his own flashlight to inspect Nikki from head to toe. "I'm fine," she repeated. For the first time, Colby had enough light to add his own inspection of Nikki. He had already concluded that she really was fine just by the way she moved but as he saw David's nod he was glad that he had come to the same conclusion.

David offered Nikki a rescue blanket and after a stare-down she actually opened it and covered herself with it.

Then David's flashlight found him, and he rushed over. "You're looking wonderful for fine." David groused, grabbing Colby's chin to inspect his face. The dried blood probably gave him an even worse appearance.

"Yeah, well, head wounds tend to bleed a lot. But I don't think I have broken anything."

David shielded Colby's eyes with his left hand before he shone his light at the gash on his forehead, inspecting it. Apparently satisfied with what he found, David lowered carefully his light, so he wouldn't blind Colby. "What about internal injuries?"

"I feel fine," Colby said as David spread another rescue blanket over him. "No light-headedness or double vision or anything. But I guess I'm going to see a doctor soon?"

"You can bet on it."

"How did you get down?" Nikki asked.

"With a rope," David deadpanned.

Nikki rolled her eyes. "I mean how did you get Don to allow you to rope down. We haven't heard any firefighters yet and Don would never let me rope down here before the fire department had cleared the scene."

David smirked as he shared his secret. "I asked him if he would care about regulations if Charlie would be down here."

"You compared me to Charlie?" That was enough to get Colby moving no matter how painful it was.

"If you had a mirror, you'd know why I had to come down. And Charlie would like the comparison."

Colby snorted but settle down again, silently agreeing on David's point. "Are we waiting for the fire department?"

"Of course. You two brought down one ceiling already. Let's not destroy anything else by improper handling."

Nikki shifted from one foot to the other. "But I could climb up. I'm not hurt and -"

"No!" Colby and David both ordered together.

"Fine, fine." She raised her hands and sat back down. "I just wanted to help." Maybe she would learn to follow orders after all.

***

Colby let himself be poked and prodded, all the while watching Don stalking across the scene, conferencing with the firefighter crew or David or his cell phone. He talked to everybody except Nikki who had been cleared by the female paramedic after just a few basic questions. David had hovered until Don had called him away. But his silent support had been appreciated in a way words could never express.

Finally, Don came over. He eyed first the paramedic and then Colby. "They still want an ultrasound to be sure but mostly I'm just sore," Colby said, providing an answer to the silent prompt.

"He's lucky to be alive and getting out of there with just a few scraps and bruises." The medic added, indicating with his chin to the destroyed house. From the outside it didn't look worse than as they had arrived a few hours earlier, just more busy with a firefighter crew, floodlights, big trucks and lots of equipment.

"What about the head wound?"

"His not showing any warning signs. If he can assure the doctors that he won't be alone the next twenty-four hours, he'll probably get sent home. But I'm not a doctor."

"Thank you," Don said and turned to Colby. Then he waited until the medic got the hint and started to pack together, pretending to give them some time alone. "Are you really fine?"

Colby tried to smile, hearing the real question. "I was the senior agent. If I had said no, we wouldn't have entered the house."

Don shook his head. "Funny, Nikki told the story a little differently."

Catching Don's eyes, Colby straightened as far as his sore muscle would allow. "I take full responsibility for this."

For a long moment, Don kept silent. "You do realize that I can have her transferred or sent back to training? Disobeying an order that results in an injured agent is enough for that."

"Yes." Colby slumped down again. "But it won't happen again." He realized that he had to give Don a little more. "We talked while we were waiting. I think she gets now why she needs to follow orders."

"You do?"

"I did learn it, didn't I?"

Smirking, Don shook his head. "Let's hope you're right. I'm not sure if I have the patience to wait as long as I had to wait for you to learn it." Stepping back, Don allowed the medics back in who helped Colby into the ambulance. He didn't look forward to the bumpy ride but at least he could take a seat and forgo the gurney. "Sorry about all the dirt."

"Don't worry, we'll clean it. It's easier to wash away than blood."

Just before the ambulance drove off, the passenger door opened and Nikki jumped in. "Boss tells me that I should drive with you." Colby sighed. He had hoped for David but apparently Don took his words about responsibility a little too seriously. Or maybe he wanted to get her checked out again and this was the easiest way. Catching the slight grin from the medics, he realized that his second idea was the right one.

***

"By the way", Nikki started while they were waiting for the results of the x-rays, "we found our witness."

"Really?" Colby eagerly jumped at the chance for a real distraction. After the ultrasound and an examination from head to toe, the doctor had stitched his head and ordered a few x-rays from his most spectacular bruises making sure they weren't hiding any broken bones.

"Yes." Nikki lowered her gaze. "She apologized as she called from her motel where she had hid."

"So she was bought after all?"

"No, she found out that her husband had cheated on her and wanted some time alone to think. Apparently she forgot the court date."

Colby did a double take, fearing he had misheard. "What?"

"Yeah, her disappearance had nothing to do with her testimony or McAdams. Her husband lied because he had an idea why she had disappeared but didn't want to confess to having an affair."

Colby let his head drop against the headrest.

"The husband, Sanchez, is also going to pull through and White is not going to be able to threaten him for a long time."

Rubbing at his eyes, Colby shook his head. "At least nobody died."

"Yes," Nikki drew out the word while she fidgeted with her cell phone. "I guess next time I should not be so fast in reaching a conclusion."

"Maybe just ask a few questions more. To determine the truth you need to understand why and how something happened, not only to regard or disregard facts fitting your assumptions."

"You mean like trying to understand the basis of a decision, not only the decision and its effects itself?"

"You learn really fast."

"If the teacher is any good," she replied with a rueful smile. "But that brings us back to partnership versus friendship, doesn't it?"

Colby nodded. "So, any secrets you want to share now?"

"Not right now, maybe later, Granger. But brace yourself - your working undercover is going to seem like a child's play compared to my secrets."

Colby laughed out loud and then groaned. He couldn't wait for the result to come back, so he could get some pills, some water and going home. In that order.

***

David waited in front of the ER for him. "I thought you would appreciate it more if I play Nurse Nightingale instead of Betancourt."

Colby smiled tiredly. "I don't care as long as I get into my bed and don't have to move anymore."

"That's the plan," David said while he opened the passenger door to his car.

For once, Colby appreciated that David could drive like a grandmother. "I was surprised as Don didn't chew Nikki out," David suddenly interrupted the comfortable silence, "until he told me that you of all the people intervened on her behalf. Again."

"What I can I say, David? It's who I am."

"She deserved the lecture. Maybe she even needed it."

Colby tensed up and faced David with an intensive stare. "She had already gotten her lecture as she brought down the ceiling on me."

David shivered and Colby made a note to not talk about it again so callously. "She deserved it," David insisted.

"Do you know how often I had deserved it and other guys, guys like you, did the same for me?" Colby leaned back into his seat. "I wouldn't be here if not others had shown me this kind of mercy."

A shaky but firm nod concluded this conversation. Colby knew that David could understand where he was coming from. Some gifts could never be returned, but a few kind acts could be shared down the line.

Silence descend again, but it was the kind of silence where you could relax and enjoy the company of another human being.

"You worried us as we couldn't reach you," David said as he parked in front of Colby's home.

"Yeah. Sorry about that. I'm just glad that I told you where I would be."

"It's the only thing why nobody is angry at you, only at Betancourt. Just don't do it again."

"What? Bringing down a ceiling or taking the faster route?"

David laughed out loud. "Man, you won't ever change."

Colby smiled. "But you still like me."

***

Colby had just finished his shower, as his doorbell rang. David opened the door. In front of it, Nikki waited with three pizzas. She was freshly showered and a tired grin graced her features.

"What are you doing here?" David asked as Colby still waited for his body to allow more movement. Not matter how much he had needed the shower maybe he should have waited till tomorrow.

"Don ordered me to bring you food. I hope you guys enjoy pizza."

Eagerly, David grabbed the bag and invited Nikki in. "Come in."

Colby eyed his bedroom door, knowing that a soft bed was waiting for him there. "You two can eat. I'm going to turn in."

"You know that I'm going to have to wake you in two hours?" David asked barely looking up from checking which pizza could be considered edible for a guy from the Bronx.

Colby grimaced. "Please keep your twenty questions to simple ones. I don't like playing games." He started to turn as he suddenly remembered something. "Oh, and Betancourt? You do realize that Don can't order you to bring us food?"

Nikki glanced down before she looked up again, a serene smile on her face. "Yes. But you see, after I thought about why Don would say something like this, I decided to do it because he knows how to have friends and steer a team through rough waters."

David snorted. "Rough waters. You," David pointed to Nikki with his index finger, "have no idea."

"Maybe not, but I'm learning and following some advice." She put two of her fingers to her temple and saluted. It wasn't a real salute but it was respectful. "Thanks, Granger."

"You're welcome, rookie."

In the end it had been worth it. 'Just next time,' Colby made note to himself, as he carefully lay down, 'don't go as far as getting buried beneath a collapsed ceiling.' It hurt too much.

**The End**

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt was _I want to see Colby in charge of a mission with one of the younger agents, one who doesn't necessarily trust him. I'd love to see something where Colby ends up having to take someone else in hand, for refusing to follow orders. Something where Colby is in charge. Heck, it doesn't even need to be one of the younger agents; it could just as easily be David. Or even Don. I'm always interested in seeing a good role reversal_.
> 
> I needed a break from editing another Numb3rs story and that prompt fitted nicely.


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